Casey Janssen and Ricky Romero went exploring in Muskoka. They returned as converts

TORONTO — The two California boys thought the all-star break was too short for a trip home. So Casey Janssen and Ricky Romero went exploring in Muskoka.

They returned as converts.

“Everyone talks about cottage country like it’s the best thing ever,” Janssen said before his Toronto Blue Jays staged a workout Thursday. “We knew nothing about it. So we got in Ricky’s car and decided we were just going to drive until we stumbled into something. No reservations, no nothing. We just said we were going to wing it.”

The two pitchers found a resort and spent two days on Lake Muskoka — one on a boat with a bunch of new friends — and “had an absolute blast,” Janssen said.

There was no shop talk, no mention of the Blue Jays’ tumultuous first half nor Romero’s mound struggles.

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“Great break,” Romero said. “Once you’re up there, just sitting on a lake, it’s awesome. To be able to get away from the city and everything, it’s so peaceful and quiet out there. It was a great break.”

Both talked about the getaway as a mind-clearing experience. Both said they were glad to get back on Wednesday, work out at the Rogers Centre, play a little catch and get ready for the weekend series at home against Cleveland.

“I know what happened [in the first half], and I didn’t want to think about it,” Romero said of his control problems that resulted in a 5.22 ERA. “I kind of wanted to just let it go, and that was my time to do that.”

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Reliever Luis Perez will likely need Tommy John surgery, but is seeking a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews, the renowned surgeon. Perez suffered a torn elbow ligament while pitching in last Sunday’s game.

The Blue Jays have promoted left-handed reliever Aaron Loup from Double-A New Hampshire, where he posted a 2.78 ERA in 37 games.

Manager John Farrell said the club’s priority was to call up a lefty, rather than a pitcher with big-league experience. In that regard, Loup joins right-hander Sam Dyson, who was called up last week in his first pro season.

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Brandon Morrow, who is recovering from a muscle strain in his left side, is scheduled to throw his first bullpen session in Dunedin, Fla., on Friday.

Morrow was the club’s best starter until his injury. He is set to throw 25 to 30 pitches in his return to a mound. If that goes well, the next test will come Saturday, when he discovers how his oblique muscle responds to the strain.

“Saturday will be a big day,” Farrell said.

He said closer Sergio Santos, recovering from a shoulder problem, is scheduled to pitch off a mound this weekend.

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Long-suffering right-hander Dustin McGowan recently got good news about what is not wrong with him, but his future remains in doubt.

McGowan underwent tests in Dallas to see if he had a blood clot caused by thoracic outlet syndrome. He does not have a blood clot. The discomfort in his shoulder “is still ongoing,” Farrell said.

“He’s got to start back on a throwing program,” Farrell said. “He’s trying to get off of square one.”